Preparing for the interview
What is an interview panel looking for from a head of department? Read the job description and person specification but also do your own research. Perhaps they need somebody to raise standards and that will require you to lead and inspire staff.
Plan what you would say to questions that you might expect to be asked, thinking of examples from your experience that you can use to bring yourself to life. Choose about four examples so that you have them at your fingertips to tweak to questions. For instance, you’re bound to be asked about how you’d manage some difficult staff situation so refer to a real example of something you’ve experienced or observed.
Think about what the question is getting at. A question about a bad experience is not there to trick you into showing how awful you are, but how resilient you are – and this is a very important characteristic.
Show your great people skills. Make eye contact with each of the panel, be enthusiastic and try to smile!
More
- Watch the full video Succeed at Interview - as Middle Leader
- Further viewing:
- Go to the careers page to find more